Verizon HomeFusion now available to everyone who sadly can’t get broadband

Building a 4G LTE network is expensive, but it’s also relatively cheap compared to building out a wired network, especially when that network consists of people who live in rural communities. Copper isn’t exactly a budget material, and fiber optic cables are simply out of the question, so what do people who want to live in the sticks do for high speed internet? Some go to their local library, but that’s a tad bit inconvenient, so that’s where Verizon HomeFusion comes in. It’s a terrible name for a fairly straightforward concept: stick an antenna on the side of your house and use the same network you use to make calls to connect your desktop and laptop to the internet. Anyone who has ever turned their phone into a hotspot is already familiar with what I’m talking about; HomeFusion just takes things to the next level by using an antenna that’s about the size of a pineapple.

The bigger question is will we ever reach a point where moving bits via wires simply becomes too much of a hassle? Think about a future where Verizon would offer you a large antenna you’d stick on the side of your house and then through that antenna you’d get broadband, HDTV, and even a home phone line. Combine that with what you’re already paying to use your smartphone every month, and you have a quad play offering. Cable companies tried to do that when they bought up a whole bunch of AWS spectrum, but ultimately they gave up. Technologies like LTE-Advanced promise to deliver at least a gigabit per second to fixed locations, so … the potential is there.

Anyway, back to HomeFusion. It’s now available to anyone in the United States. $60 per month gets you 10 GB of data. Double that to $120 per month and you get 30 GB of data. Overage charges are $10 per GB. Installation costs a whopping $200. Thinking of picking it up?

Simply put, this is way too much to be competitive. Verizon is not offer DSL to FiOS markets any longer, and federal law requires that they keep current markets active for other DSL providers (since Verizon owns the lines). I pay about $60/month for a 15/5 Fiber line, and don’t have to worry about caps. I will like to think that cable is competitive. Until these prices become competitive, this will be for the stupid people. Most people in rural markets will cut service after the first month of sticker shock. One should never be afraid to use the service they pay for.

Peter

I have no high speed provider in my area and the local cable company is just as costly. I’m glad to see Verizon challenge the old cable providers as I am considering the system. The price is reasonable compared to cable companies, but I am hoping the price does drop as more people use the system.